The midweek-meal saviour is possibly the most customisable food ever. From salads to sauces and stews, here’s how to get the best from the Italian classic
In the 30 years since its UK supermarket debut, pesto has captured Britain’s heart, becoming a go-to saviour of the midweek meal. And not just in the classic pesto alla genovese form. From chilli-spiked to truffled incarnations, pesto has come a long way since 1991.
“Start with the premise that it contains herbs, nuts, cheese and oil,” says George Leigh, chef at the Birmingham pizzeria Otto. “Then pick the herb or cheese and adjust everything else to match.” That attitude will appal purists, but, as this A-Z of pesto reveals, once-hard rules about pesto are increasingly being ignored for the sake of flavour.
